Reason Number Four
by Jade003
Summary: Cloud wasn't sure if he wanted to stay in Shinra, then came reason number four. Sorta squeal to 'Bad Day'. Zack/Cloud friendship. One-shot.


Just a little something-something. _Not_ yaoi. Sorry. Just working out Cloud's character. I suppose it could work as a squeal for 'Bad Day' so I'll go with that. It is a one-shot which means no more chapters. Though that wouldn't mean that I wouldn't come up with another fic after this. It all depends on my mood, ideas and my son (as in if he gives me the time to write).

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Cloud opened his gym locker door and pulled out his uniform. Setting the clothes down on the bench behind him, he quickly glanced around to check if anyone was paying him any attention. Seeing none, he quickly dropped the damp towel around his waist and with practiced ease, pulled on his boxers and pants. Feeling more at ease now that he was at least partially dressed, the cadet worked on drying his hair and whatever else he need to do after showering before pulling a tank top over his head.

Cloud sighed as he shoved his sweat drenched clothes in his bag. It was roughly three months since he started in SOLDIER and he was seriously considering if it was worth going onto month four. The whole being in the military was a lot harder, and different, than he had expected. It wasn't any one thing; no it was a lot of little things that kept pilling up. Examples? One: he was on the top bunk in his barracks and it had taken him a week to get used to being so high off the ground. And of course the other cadets took great pleasure in teasing him about being afraid of heights – which he wasn't, he used to hike in the mountains for fun – and asking if he needed to be strapped down to his mattress. He only fell out of bed, twice. Twice! And all in the first week. Like none of them any issues with the first week at camp. It was really getting old.

Two: being that he was shorter and thinner and all around smaller than 98% of the cadets, it seemed that it gave them all the reason to pick on him for said size. Didn't seem to matter that he could hold his own against them in a fight or was better at magic then most of them. Nope, size _did_ matter.

Arg. Now he was thinking of the vulgar jokes he heard almost 24/7.

Which led to Reason Number Three: everyone here was a pervert.

He didn't want to dwell too long on that other than that his mother would be mortified if she heard even a quarter of the jokes and lewd stories he had heard between drills, class, and after lights-out. He didn't think of himself as a prude… but really, he had been taught some class by his mother. Plus he was sure if he ever tried any of the things the other cadets mentioned he'd get a fist to the mouth. He was certain Tifa would do so.

"Hey, we're heading over to _Bellowing Behemoth_, you want to come?"

Cloud silently watched as the other cadets gathered after their own showers and chatted as they dressed.

"Sure. They had some great lookin' chicks there. Can't wait to show them a _real_ SOLDIER, if ya know what I mean." A round of agreeing laughter echoed through the locker bay. Cloud placed a clean uniform in his locker and closed the door. He turned to leave, bag slung over his shoulder but halted in mid-stumbling step as a man was suddenly behind him, bending over to reach his locker.

"Eh?" The raven haired man said as he blinked at Cloud. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to get in your way. Give me a sec."

"It's okay." Cloud murmured as he stepped over the dividing bench. His boot caught on a pile of clothes though, effectively pulling them to the ground. The _wet_ tiled ground. Cloud mentally cursed. "Sorry."

The other man laughed. "Don't worry about it. Just water. Never hurt anyone. Well, unless they were in a lake and couldn't swim. Then that'd suck." Cloud blinked at the still chuckling man. Clad only in a white towel around his waist, the man offered Cloud his hand. "Names Zack Fair."

"Uh," Cloud rearranged his bag to free his hand. "Cloud. Cloud Strife." They shook hands.

"Nice to meet you, Cloud." Cloud gave a small nod in return. "So," Zack started as he turned back to his locker, effectively stalling Cloud from leaving or risk being rude. "Ya going to the bar with everyone else?"

Cloud glanced down at the group of talking men. "Don't think so."

"Why not? Everyone else is going." Cloud shrugged his shoulders. "Ah, c'mon," The raven whined as he pulled on his slightly damp clothes. "It'll be fun. Plus, it's a Friday. Everyone has to have fun on Friday. It's like the law. Mandatory."

Cloud looked to the tile floor, eyes tracing the lines. "Just don't feel like it," he replied softly.

Cloud had instantly pegged the other man to be a talker and so when silence stretched on to a good minute, he figured he had wore out his welcome like he usually did with his non-existent conversation skills. He looked up to see if he needed to say good-bye – always remember your manners Cloud his mother's voice echoed in his head – only to find the man watching him. Cloud balked slightly.

"You're new, right?" The man asked. He nodded and rubbed his chin before Cloud could answer. "Yeah, I remember now. It's been a couple months, right? So how is everything?"

Cloud shrugged again. Zack laughed.

"Not much of a talker are ya."

"Sorry," Cloud muttered. When would he be able to leave?

"Hey, hey, no need to be sorry. Not everyone has the gift for gab. Someone has to listen, right?" The older teen sat down and pulled on his boots. "Let me guess, you really haven't gotten a good tour of the place right? How 'bout I show you around. And don't give me some 'I've-got-homework' excuse. That's want Sunday nights are for. Plus, you strike me as the type to have most of your work done."

Cloud frowned. Was he being called a nerd? The other chuckled again.

"That's a good thing." Zack stood. "C'mon. We'll drop you're stuff off then I'll show you around."

Cloud bit the inside of his cheek. Did he really want to go? His initial instinct was no but, once again in the voice of his mother, he was reminded that he should try to make some friends. He was planning on being here for awhile. Sorta. Until it became too much and he dropped out anyway.

Forth on his growing list? No friends.

Maybe, and it was big maybe, Zack could be that. He doubted it since he had very little experience in the field. Cloud knew he was good at alienating people or getting them to pick on him, not that that was ever intentional, but still… On the plus side he might finally find where the student's computer lab was. He'd seen it on the first day but had since been unable to find it again the maze of hallways and classrooms.

"…Alright."

Zack smiled brightly at him. "Great. Let's go, Chocobo. Hey it rhymes!"

Cloud glared. "Don't call me that." Zack laughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sure thing, Blondie."

Cloud continued to glare.

"Spike?"

Cloud rolled his eyes but nonetheless followed the other out of the locker room. Just what was he getting himself into?


End file.
